Gulls observe humans to home in on tasty scraps, study finds

Herring gulls more likely to peck at items if humans pretend to eat them first

It's the sort a sneaky trick only a gull would learn: by watching how people handle their food, the birds can work out when there are snacks to be had.

Researchers found that herring gulls were more likely to peck at items left on the ground if humans had pretended to eat them first.